Villa Rodizio — Restaurant in Berlin

AVOID! I've been to two churrascarias before, and in choosing this place I had expectations that this place would be at least half as good. I was wrong. So so wrong. They have a lot of items on their menu to order, or you can get buffet with or without meat. I got the buffet with meat and a glass of wine. These are ten meats that they bring around with my thoughts: Spare rib in BBQ sauce. I passed on this, thinking they must start with the not so great meats to fill people up before they bring around the fillet mignon and other good things. And BBQ sauce? Really? I didn't see this as a good sign but I decided to stick it out (I would later regret this choice). Turkey wrapped in bacon. This is very mediocre. Little did I know this would be the high point of the meats. Chorizo sausage. Dry and not very nice. Chicken legs. I passed on this too. I didn't come to a Brazilian steakhouse to fill up on chicken! Beef. Bland and very chewy. A bit salt added before cooking could have gone a long way here. Instead they serve this boring, bland beef that isn't cooked very well. Smoked ham. This tasted like ham lunch meat that was heated up. Not terrible, if you like ham lunchmeat. Chicken breast with chili sauce. Again I passed on the chicken. Pork. Far too middling. Lamb. Overcooked but at least they added some salt so the flavor was alright. Chicken hearts. Bland and chewy.

The buffet was full of gross looking salad variations varying between beets swimming in some creamy sauce and pasta salad. I ate the far too over dressed arugula salad because I wanted some greens to balance the meats. I tried a few other things but nothing was very good. The quesadillas were a joke; one bite and I couldn't eat any more.

For dessert they offer pineapple then banana in chocolate sauce sprinkled with coconut. Both of these were ok. Easily the best tasting part of this dinner.

Even though I was very disappointed with the food, I was at least pleased with the service. The guy that was serving the meats was hustling and doing a great job. If I could only rate him I'd give him 5 stars.

Then the bill came.

I ask the woman about a 5.40 charge and she tells me it is the water. I am incredulous! I said tap water to her two times when I ordered my glass of water then repeated tap water when I asked for a refill. I say this to her. She tells me they don't offer tap water, only bottled. Where was this statement when I ordered?! I repeat to her that I asked for tap water and she did not tell me that it was bottled. She said that is what was given to me. She tells me in Germany they don't give out tap water. I say that isn't true because I have gotten tap water at other places. She wouldn't change the charge.

I left feeling very upset about the lousy, overpriced food and being ripped...

Vila Rodízio, Berlin – When “Brazilian” Becomes a Costume

I went in with hope. After all, 4.4 stars and over 6,000 reviews usually point to a solid experience. At the very least, it should mean competence, right? Instead, what I found was a masterclass in how to milk the idea of Brazilian food for a crowd that probably never had the real thing. Frankly, I’m still puzzled how they managed to collect that many glowing reviews.

Let me spare you the suspense: if you want authentic Brazilian food, this is not the place.

What unfolded here was the saddest attempt at churrasco I’ve ever experienced. The buffet, which should be overflowing with staples, felt like an afterthought. No pão de queijo, no proper sides, no variety. The feijoada looked like canned beans stretched with water and decorated with trace amounts of meat. The farofa was bland, more like a breadcrumb experiment than a Brazilian essential.

The skewers, supposedly the crown of the show, were mostly pork and chicken. Not the problem, but each one came disguised under thick coats of lemon, mustard, or barbecue sauce. Nothing about it said churrasco. The one beef cut served, the picanha, should have redeemed the night. Instead, it was served in thin, lifeless slices, with almost no salt and none of the smoky, proud simplicity that defines Brazilian barbecue.

To be fair, the waiting staff walking around with the skewers were friendly, but they were rarely seen at my table, despite me asking for more. They simply took their time, which was surprising given that the restaurant was nearly empty.

Dessert sealed the deal: banana drowned in chocolate syrup and sprinkled with coconut. If you asked a five-year-old to design a “Brazilian dessert,” this is probably what they’d come up with.

And then there’s the atmosphere. Instead of the tropical vibrancy you’d expect, the place looked like a gothic cave, dark and heavy. It felt better suited to a vampire feast than a Brazilian celebration.

So yes, the reviews lured me in with the promise of a culinary trip to Brazil. What I got was the ghost of churrasco, dressed in sauces and served in a gloomy cavern. In the end, it felt like paying for a ticket to Disneyland but ending up at a cheap German...

As a meat lover, I always wanted to try this place. I like that the restaurant has its own history and story to tell about it's special location. The restaurant is mostly famous with it's all you can eat meat option including salad buffet for 32 euros, which seems like a very good deal, so I opted for that. They have also a la carte menu and many different cocktails. I tried the Caipirinha and it tasted authentic

There are 10 different meat courses included. This is how it works, many waiters run around the restaurant with different types of meat, they will pass by your table every few mins and explain what kind of meat do they have and if you are interested to be served. I always said yes, so I can have a chance to try everything

The first few meat courses I tried were really tasty and juicy, especially the picanha, pork BBQ ribs and chorizo. However, some of the other meat courses were gamey, dry, chewy and I started to get disappointed very quickly. The chicken in general is a no go, they need to improve the quality and seasoning by a lot. Also there were at least 2 other meat courses that weren't as good. Overall, 3 meat courses were really good, 3 were okay and 4 were no thanks. I believe I will give them another try but now I know which meat to eat and which meat to pass on

The salad bar was underwhelming as well, I expected more, but only the coleslaw, wedges and quesadillas were good

The dessert was enjoyable, grilled pineapple and bananas topped with chocolate sauce and coconut were a good choice to end this enormous meal

The waiters were friendly and the restaurant has a really nice atmosphere with an outdoor area as well, and overall I enjoyed it a lot and got to try many different kinds of meat l. I would give it an overall...